PLASTIC OSTFRONT RULES FOR 1/72 SCALE WARGAMING

SCALES AND TERRAIN

Ground: ‘Sliding scale: 15cm=150m, 30cm=500m, 60cm=1km, 120cm=2.5km, 240cm = 6km

Units: squad = platoon. 1/3 real strengths

Timescale: 5 minutes or so to a player turn. 1hr to a game move.

Basing: 60mmx40mm for a squad gives a well-spaced look. 45x45mm is possible , saves space but looks less realistic. Anything between these is also useable. There is no hard and fast rule. A squad should show a light machine gun and 3 men. An HQ should show an officer plus assistant (radio operator?) heavy machine gun and light mortar, totalling 6 men. Special sections with commanders or heavy weapons should be half the size and have 2 or 3 men.. Gun crews 2-4 men.

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Lay-Out Terrain

Each 30cm square must have a feature within it but not necessarily covering all of it

 Instead of laying a new piece a player can choose to double the size of an existing piece - dice: 4,5,6 allows it to double in size. This can be done repeatedly.

High ground                :hills

Must be at least as extensive as one 30cm square less than its height in stages. (3 steps high, at least 2 areas in extent)

Cannot overlay town or city

Rough ground                             :rock, sand

Must lie at least partly on a hill

Wet ground                 :swamp, lake

May not lie on hills unless confined within the top level.

Swamps can have a trackway marked through them.

Water-courses                            :stream, river, coast

Stream can only start or stop in wet ground.

Must leave the board. May not run uphill !

River can have tributary stream. Streams may not.

Woods                                      :dense or open

All areas must have one marked trackway through them

May not overlie settlements.

Settlements                :farm, village, town, city

Farm: 1 building plus 15cm square orchard and 90cm fence/hedge

Village: 3 farms within 15cm of each other

Town: 9 buildings within 15cm of each other

City: 6 small, 6 large, one v. large building <=15cm of each other

Industry and infrastructure             :collective, factory, mine, port, airfield, oil store

One large and 2 small buildings within 15cm of each other

After all features are placed both must agree on the road and rail network

Road net                                   :major or minor roads, bridges

Each board side, settlement, industry must be linked

If there is a town or city then double this basic net length

Rail net                                     :lines, stations 

Crosses between 2 opposite sides of the table

Stations adjacent to or in all industry, towns, cities

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